Richard Rodgers wants his play on Eagles to do his talking

Sunday

New free agent tight end looking to replace snaps from Celek and Burton

Getting Richard Rodgers to elaborate on anything beyond the basic is akin to extracting blood from a stone.

The Philadelphia Eagles newest tight end, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, seemingly wants only his playmaking to do the talking for him.

Asked during a quick news conference on Friday what he needs to improve on: “Everything,” he replied.

Asked what his biggest strength is as a tight end: “My ability to catch the ball,” he said.

Period.

OK, then.

So Rodgers is not a man of words. That won’t be a problem for his new team, so long as he can be as versatile as one of the players he’s replacing, Trey Burton, and is as willing to block as the other tight end who’s no longer here: Brent Celek.

Rodgers was vague on the blocking questions too.

Has he improved in that area? “Umm, I don’t really know,” he said. “I don’t know how to quantify that.”

One thing he would quantify was his versatility.

“In Green Bay, I played in the backfield. Played in line, spread out, so I’ve done a little bit of everything.”

Later, when reminded how well Burton, who two months earlier tossed what already is the most famous (and maybe most important) touchdown pass in franchise history, could throw the ball, his eyes lit up a bit.

“I can throw the ball pretty well,” he said. “If you ask around, I think you’ll find that I can throw the ball pretty well.”

Rodgers has had a strange first four years in the NFL — all with the Packers, who drafted him in the third round in 2014.

The following year, he started 12 games and became one of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ favorite targets, catching 58 passes for 510 yards and eight TDs. But his playing time and production have slipped since.

In fact, he barely has more catches (62) in his other three years combined than he did in 2015.

“I just did what I was told, did what the coaches asked me to do,” Rodgers said. “That’s all you can do as a player — is do what the coaches ask you to do. My numbers dropped for whatever reason, so I’m just going to try to contribute to help the team win.”

One other thing he is looking forward to is playing with Zach Ertz, a former college rival. Ertz was drafted out of Stanford in 2013. The Packers drafted Rodgers out of California the following year.

“I don’t know him very well … but I’m looking forward to getting to know him to see how he is in practice and to see how he works,” Rodgers said, “because I haven’t really had many veteran tight ends to look up to. So I’ll be looking to learn a lot from him and my coach.”

But the main reason Rodgers chose the Eagles is the fun factor, which he believes will be high.

“Watching the Eagles play on TV last year, I felt like I just enjoyed that the most,” he said. “They had an exciting fan base, exciting players, celebrations. They were doing a lot of fun stuff, and it’s hard to beat a team that has that kind of chemistry. So I felt I wanted to be a part of that.”

Celek and Burton combined for 762 snaps last season, so it seems Rodgers has lined himself up a perfect opportunity as well.

He will have competition, though, to be sure. The Eagles have brought back Billy Brown, who made their practice squad after being signed as an undrafted free agent last year. They also have Josh Perkins and Adam Zaruba on their offseason roster and are almost certain to add in the draft or right after with players whose names don’t get called, like Brown’s.

How involved Rodgers will be with the offense can’t be projected.

How involved he will be with special teams can. Suffice to say a lot.

Rodgers is a committed player who understands the value of special teams.

“I just feel that special teams is very important to winning games,” he said. “Special teams can swing you to a victory or it can cause a loss.”

The Eagles’ offseason program begins April 16. They hit the field for the first of 10 OTA practices on May 22.

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